Life-preserver.



C. GARRISON.

LIFE PRESERVER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I7. 1916.

Patented; July 2, 1918.

Y 'EQWWZ CHLES GARRISUN, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSE'TTS.

LIFE-PRESJERVER.

marinai.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1313.

. Application ied November 17, 1916. Serial No. 131,869.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be 1t known that l, CHARLns GARRrsoN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at` Brookline, in the county of Norfolkv and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which the following isa specification.

The present invention comprises an improved life preserver having novel features which serve useful purposes in an improved manner. jects served thereby'are fully set forth in connection with a detailed description of one embodiment of my invention, in the following specification with reference to the' drawings which form a part of the applica-, tion. lln the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my novel life preserver in the position which it occupies on the personof the wearer.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation on a smaller scale of the life preserver.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the position assumed when the person wearing it is in the water. Y

Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical central sections taken through the front and rear portions of the life preserver on the lines 4, 4 of Fig. 1 and 5, 5 of Fig. 2, respectively.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the front portion of the article taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. v l

Fig. 7 is aplan view of a case or cover adapted to receive the preserver;

Fig. 8 is a cross section of the 'case and of the contained life preserver taken on line Of 7. l p

Fig. 9 is a side -view illustrating the use ofthe preserver in its lea'seas a cushion.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the preserver with its case may be folded and retained in foldedposition for transport. p

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

'The life preserver may in accordance with this invention comprise a front portion or element 11, arear portion 12, shoulderstraps 13, 13 and arm pit straps 15, 15. ln use the head vof the wearer is inserted through the opening between the shoulder straps and the arms and the shoulders areiinserted through als @pangs between the straps ia andi i5,-

Such novel features and the ob-4 the latter straps then lying close to the body of the user and passing beneath his arms.

Without intending to restrict my invention as to the materials from which the life preserver may be made, lf will say that I prefer to make it of an outer skin or fabric, the pieces of which are properly cut and se-` cured together by stitching or otherwise, and a stufling or filling of buoyant material. A desirable material for the stuffing is Java kapok, otherwise commonly known as silkV floss, which isa light, fluffy vegetable `berV very buoyant, resilient, and yrepellent to water. I may, however, use any of the other materials and substances, such for example as cork, in slabs. or granular condition, which are known, or may hereafter be dis-V covered, to be Vsuitable for the filling of life preservers. f l

At the lower end of the front section or element of the preserver is a section 16 which is in effect hinged to the section 11 so that it may turn or bend-up forwardly with respect thereto as shown in Fig. 3. A convenient way to provide this hinge is to separate the stuffing or filling of the sections 11v and 16 enough so that the skin or walls at the front and back of this portion of the life preserver may be brought close together, and then to secure these breadths or sheets of the covering skin in this position by a line of stitches 17 or by other means. lf use the term hinge in this specification to designate the line on which the section 16 may turn or bend relatively to they portion 11,

however such a bending line may be formed.

life preserver for which there is no counter` part at the backand, bein at the ylower edge of the front portion 1t is welllsubmergedwhen the person wearing the life preserver is in the water, therefore exerting a strong lifting effect. This additional bju'oy'ant effect being applied to the forward part of the life preserver tends to throw the shoulders and `head of the wearer backward,A

thereby keeping the wearers face well above the water, in 'case should become unconscious and unable to exert himself voluntarily to that end. The hinge connection of the part 16, which may be called the res eiveV buoyant element, enables the latter toA the water.

Another importent `feature of the invention resides inthe. arm pit straps 15, which are an integral partJ of the'life preserver and aref'stuifed the buoyant material so that they considerable'breadth and thick-2 deed vileoh' of theeeetlfftpe, is intee'rel ooit. permanently Connected at ite .opposite ends to the main' parts of the preserver. They do not at'4 ally offer anyV hindrance to` the-rettile' 011/ ofthe life "Preservar, but when the latter is once on, they serve the purpose of holding the sections. of 'the 1ere- Sei'v'el 'fdloee 'totheiloody of the Woofer., and ,of loekiog'the. preeeryer in pleite by extend-Y ine @der the Weerefe arme., end. oleoY otenf plying theV lifting effect of the life preservar to the user under his arms, where it should te erplied's but in doing eo they @lok nottend to stopcirculation ofrv theblood, because the soft withY which they are iillcol distrbllteefthelerpled toreo uniformly over a ane-fe e I rroylde topes 18 which are secured to the. bottom'of the rearsectell and may bef nested around, the body andv tied in front, b littheee torte are. provided merely. to edd tothe''comfort of the wearer, and are entirelyV unnecessary so far as the vital function of? Securing the preeerver to the body S concerned; r1his function is eifectively performed by theetrepe 15- will bessen from the, foregoing that, the lite preserve? may be. not. 011 by' beine-slipped ovelthehead. and. arms., and. that.noonA beingjsopnt on it isy efficiently secured, there heingf'no strap, buckles, or other fastenings tojbef secured fin order Ato retain it in place. 'lhisis` a novelffeatule Sofitl aSI am aware is, an impr, tant element of safety, as thdrebyf'all dail ger of' improperly secured fastenings becoming detachedi's avoided, and the 'tirrneirequired tosecure the preservar. to theI person is reduced. Many situations are conceivablein which every, instant of time ,A n applyinga lifepreseryeris ofthe utmost importance; and it is equally important to insure that the securing means will not become released when the wearer is exhausted .or nncoiiscions and thus incapable of helping himself.

Ilprovide a case to contain the life prcserver, such case being essentially a bag l!) having an opening at one end, as shown in Fig. 7, into which the life preserver may be inserted. A fastener 20 is provided to hold the lips of the end opening together. The iiexibility between the front and rear scctio'ns, caused by thc small amount of mato rial at the region of the connecting straps 1 3 and 15, enables the cover with the contained p reserver to be easily bent, wherefore it may serve as a seat and back cushion for a boat, as shown in Fig. 9, where 21 represents a fragment of a canoe, or a chair, etc. The cover 19 is provided with handle straps 22 and 2,3 at opposite ends, whereby the cushion constituted as above described may be used as a life preServer in case of sudden upsetting of the boat, when there is not time enough to remove the prcserver from its case and put it on. The cushion may also be foldeddouble, as shown in Fig. 10, and secured in that position by flaps 2d having fasteners, 25 which co-act with fasteners 26 at the opposite end of the cushion, the hand le straps 22 and23 being then brought together 4where they may be grasped in the manner, of a handbag, enabling the life )rcserver to, b every easily carried by trave ers embarking on a sea voyage.

That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A life preserver comprising front and back sections stuffed with light buoyant material, and permanently connectedl shoulder and arm pit .straps connecting said sections and arranged with openingsbetween them for the head and arms ofthe wearer, the arm pit straps giving support under the arms to the wearer.` when in the water, and by reason of their permanent connection with the sections being incapable of becoming unfastened, and the front section extending downwardly beyond the arm pit straps and being separated frein the rear, section, whereby when otherwise. unconfincd, it is effective to keep. the.k face of the wearer from falling forwardY into the water. l

2. life preserver constructed of skins or coverings of flexible. fabric and a stufling of light buoyant material, said preserver boing formed. with front andrear sections and connesting. straps, two of. said straps being arranged to pass over the shoulders on opposite and close to theneck of the wearer, and two other straps. arranged to pass under the arm pits toafford support to the wearer atthose points. when Ain the'water, said straps being so permanently connected with the sections enabling them to bend, whereby front and rear sections as to be incapable of When otherwise unconned, the depending becoming accidentally disconnected, and the part of either section is adapted to be raised 10 front and rear sectionsl being otherwise sepaby its buoyancy when in the Water.

5 rate and unconnected With one another and In testimony whereof ll have axed my having portions which extend below the arm Y signature. pit straps, the :flexible construction of such CHARLES GrAlRRllSON.

Gopies of thin patent may be obtained. for nire centr each, by uddreesin the "Uommiuuloner et Pigmente,

erhmmm, M. E. 

